Video Games

If you’ve argued, here’s what I want to ask you today:

Are you getting what you want?

That argument we had, knowing the pristine rightness of our position, knowing we have taken the fall so many times for reasons as loaded, knowing we’ve been disadvantaged, our pearls were trampled and we knew and we argued because we thought we finally should. Was it friendly to Me? Choosing to argue. (There we’ve already passed up the victim role and claimed accountability for the argument. We chose it.)

The question is what is most friendly to Me? To be right? Hm. What will we do with the rightness? Sleep with it at night? Will it clean our house? Will we get anything for it? Will it take us on vacation? What ever the argument was about.

Most of us think we are right. Now what?

Ellen had argued. Not aggressively. There was no volume or matter flying about. It was short but potent. A bit nuclear if you must know. She was so in the right. If she were a tooth, she’d be the brightest whitest one in the mouth. Pearly white. An incisor perhaps. She gained ground but lost her goal. Now, neither of them got what they wanted. They just got what any one gets when they argue. Lonely.

Mass General put out a great guideline to conflict resolution I’ve reference below if you want to peruse …or tattoo it to your arm.

Basically, if you want to get something, let the other person save face. You ain’t getting much by being right. Think about what is friendly to yourself and remember that friendly is not what is easy, natural or desired many times. It is what improves you and gets you what you really want in the big picture.

If you can’t do this even though you are deliberately trying, it may be that it is a symptom of brain illness and needs medical care.

So how am I doing in our argument? Smile. Are you getting what you want? Have you ever been mid-stride argument and been able to change the direction of your projection? Have you ever been able to stop yourself once you started and chose to be friendly with yourself rather than just right? How? Please tell me your story.

Self-Care Tip #225 – If you can’t choose a better perspective on your own, it might be time to choose it via a medical route.

Feeling trapped? Overextended? Used and neglected by others? It might be true. But why do we get in these impossible places?

In the Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle, towards the end of the story we find ourselves in a room with Charles and It. Charles is trapped by It. He has disconnected from his own thoughts and has given himself over to the control of “It.”

Charles’ sister, Meg, comes in and reminds him about Love and that changed the perspective of everything. It reminded Charles about why he wanted to choose for himself, to have his own thoughts, to love and receive love. And then, with that, Charles was reconnected with himself again, whole and sharing space with Love.

The changing perspective turned what seemed an impossible bondage into freedom.

When we feel disconnected from our personal journey, impossibly overextended and trapped, remembering our freedom to choose, freedom because of Love can make all the difference. The perspective shifts. The impossible becomes possible. Magic.

Sometimes, choosing is thwarted by brain disease. When we can’t extricate ourselves, when guilt plagues us, when we feel like things are about us that really aren’t, when the emotion jarring us is inappropriate to the context – we need to use that as a cue to choose to get “free” via medical help.

Questions: When have you felt trapped? When you did feel trapped, how did you find your freedom? Please tell me your story.

Fragile Annie writes a blog called, “It’s Time To Get Over How Fragile You Are.” Isn’t that a great name? She own’s her frailty, own’s that it has affected her life, and own’s what it’s time to do now. All in a name and a title.

When I was in psychotherapy, talking on about injustices suffered, my feelings, the rightness of my condition – my therapist said, “It’s time to grow up Sana.” I still feel the punch in my stomach and the quiet immediately following. I couldn’t breath for a bit. Just nodded my head. “Ok.” …I said, “Ok” a few times. I don’t remember much else of what he told me but I don’t think I’ll ever forget that. He’d be satisfied with his work with me if he knew.

After all, it’s not such a small thing to grow up, or “get over” our frailty. It’s not such a small thing to see our need. It’s not so little to act on it. These are things that champions do. These are things any coach, parent, therapist, teacher would be proud to be a part of. These are the things that make the difference between falling victim to your history, or claiming the rights to your now and to your future.

Think about what is upsetting you the most. What seems to keep at you and trip you and keep you back and keep you right where it left you last? It’s time to grow up.

Self-Care Tip #106 – In Fragile Annie’s own words, “It’s time to get over how fragile you are.” Be a friend to yourself.

Question: What has knocked your breath out in a good way, sending you off towards growth? Please tell me your story.

“I read a lot of self-help books, but look at all the difference it’s made in my life!” Sarcasm noted. My friend was coming out of a dark melancholy of several years and complained that bringing something from your head into your life is hard. Another case of trying to keep it real.

People call what we do “word play.” Mouth flappers. Those of us whose actions can’t keep up with our mind-matters fend off judgement like OJ Simpson. We’re guilty alright but it’s not murder folks. Let’s get into the empty seats to applaud the performance of Good Intentions. Good intentions come in degrees. There’s the thought, the desire, and then the levels of action that happen before and until execution. Not all life is like playing horseshoes. There is “win” in process too.

But my friend’s real beef was with the expectation she had that those books and their words would marinate her. Soak her until she smelled and tasted and essentially became something new and better. She didn’t think they did. How does someone somehow bring what is out there inside?

If you want more about some of the biological play on this, read this post. Basically if you are trying to grow, you are most successful working with a growing-style that is congruent with your temperament. There are other intersecting paradigms also, including spirituality, external stressors and biology. Bringing it inside is a balance between paradigms in life.

If I were speaking to my friend though, I’d applaud her thoughts, desires and degrees of action that have constituted her journey of Good Intentions. I’d invite her into the stands with me and take some time to watch a replay of the parts of her life that made her glad. That in itself opens us up to what needs to come in. And we are more able to keep on.